Turnovers, poor shooting against Riverside ends season
By Bonta Hill
SPORTS EDITOR
Coming into the season, the men’s basketball team here at City College of San Francisco didn’t know what to expect.
They ended up leaving Fresno expecting something they didn’t get: The program’s first state championship since 1962.
The Rams lost to the Riverside Tigers 61-57 at Selland Arena in Fresno, Calif. March 13. Their inability to make baskets, prevent second shot opportunities and 19 turnovers proved to be too much to overcome.
Still, the team finished with 30-9 record, and a fourth coast conference championship. Coach Justin Labagh knew his team had as good of a shot as any team left in the final four.
“I thought we over achieved this season, which is good,” Labagh said. “I also thought that the teams left when we stepped onto the floor [Riverside, Saddleback, San Joaquin Delta], we had an honest shot to beat them, and probably should have won it all.”
Things were looking good as the Rams jumped to an early 20-10 lead midway through the first half. With four minutes left, forward Greer Wright, playing his last game in a Rams jersey, layed in two points to a 32-23 lead.
Riverside, hailing from the Orange Coast Conference in the Los Angeles area, went on an 8-0 run to the end the half down 32-31, and took all confidence with them.
“I thought we had it with three minutes left in the first half,” Wright, who finished with 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists, said. “They got the momentum and [Riverside] kept it. It was tough.”
In the second half, Da’Ron Sims, Coast Conference player of the year, tried to carry the Rams on his back. The freshman center finished with a game high 21 points, and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to save his team.
Riverside went up 45-39 on a 7-0 run, but the Rams scrapped their way back to briefly take the lead 46-45 with 10 minutes left in the game.
Riverside called a timeout to take the lead 47-46. They never trailed the rest of the game.
The Rams shot 32 percent in the second half and finished shooting 3-19 from the three-point line. They also fell below their 83-point scoring average as a team.
“It was more fatigue from the game against San Bernandino Valley,” Sims, whose team defeated S.B.V. 92-87 March 12 to get to the final four, said. “We made some key mistakes offensively and defensively, but we didn’t make the shots that we usually make.”
With Riverside making their free throws down the stretch to go along with the Rams poor shooting, it all added up to equal the last game of the season.
“[Riverside] played well on defense,” Labagh said. “We had a hard time getting into our offense. But it was on our shoulders that we played bad offense.”
Coming back next season will be Sims and conference defensive player of the year Christopher White. They will also be welcoming two highly touted recruits next season, All-City guard De’End Parker from Lincoln high school, and Southern Idaho Junior college transfer John Williams.
Labagh praised his current team for fighting through adversity throughout the season. The Rams were in fourth place in mid-January, yet won 11 straight to turn their season around.
“The thing with this team is [we] didn’t have superstars and they all gave back,” Labagh said. “We were a better team for it and we have to recreate that to get back down to the final four [next year].”